TV Shows to Binge during January Blues

After Christmas and New Year, everyone can feel a little unexcited after the hustle and bustle of Christmas Plannings and nights out. January is a perfect time to relax, take it easy and binge on tv shows that you’ve been meaning to catch up on. I have a couple of suggestions for shows that I’ve been hooked on the last couple of months and are perfect for binging.

Are You The One? (Particularly Season 6) – No better way than starting this list off with a reality TV show, perfect for switching off and putting your feet up.

22 Desperately Single people all go into a villa (11 boys and 11 girls). These people have been put through an intense matchmaking scheme. This means that one person in the villa is their ‘perfect match’ according to matchmakers. The contestants have to get to know the other competitors and participate in a ‘match-up ceremony’ each week. This is where they pick the person who they believe is their perfect match. Beams of light are shone for each couple that is a ‘perfect match’. The challenge is that they don’t know which couple is for which beam which means there can be a lot of mix-up and misunderstanding and a whole lot of drama. I could spend all day trying to explain the rules but it’s very easy to understand once you watch one or two episodes.

Season 6 has been my particular favorite season out of the whole lot and for good reason. This season, in particular, is very easy to get into if you are new to the series. There is a new host in this season so the rules are explained a lot more in depth. There is also a lot more drama than any other season which makes it a lot more addicting. I was watching this while it was ongoing which meant I’d have to wait a week before the new episode. Now, the season is finished so you can binge-watch it all in one sitting.

I have to declare that I am absolutely fascinated with the Royal Family which is probably a big push into why I love this show. This show is definitely more on the serious side of genres and with a slightly old-fashioned dialect. The series gives an insight look in Queen Elizabeth the Second’s start of her continuing reign of England. It definitely shows you a timeline of history that not many people would be aware of, I find myself looking up Wikipedia to discover and learn more about the events that they cover briefly on the show.

There’s a lot that comes into play with this show, conflict of power and class. This brings a lot of drama into this show and keeps everything very interesting. You witness iconic figures in history throughout the show such as Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth’s close family (Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, Duke of Edinburgh etc.). It gives a humanizing aspect into the mysterious fog that is the Royal Family. Claire Foy (plays Queen Elizabeth) is an exceptional actress in this series and keeps you hooked from the beginning.

The Sinner (On Netflix) – Gets out of the ‘what happened’ in murder mysteries and looks more into ‘why’.

This 8 part series zooms into the life of Cora Tannetti (Jessica Biel), a woman with the full picture; a loving husband, a job and a beautiful son. While relaxing on the beach, Cora spots a couple chilling out on the beach listening to loud music. As a viewer, you can only watch hopelessly as there’s a change in Cora’s eyes. She walks up to the couple and stabs the man repeatedly. Completely confused by the whole situation, the police have to arrest Cora. Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) in charge of the case has to look into the mind and past of Cora Tannetti. After all, what could possibly drive an ordinary woman to murder?

The show certainly goes through twists and turns and even some hugely disturbing scenes but it is so addicting to watch. The show taught me that you truly don’t know what happens behind ‘closed doors’. The human mind is a most fragile thing and taking it apart is an interesting aspect that this show took.

The Investigator: A British Crime Story (On Netflix) – A four-part documentary into an ongoing true crime case with a lot of unanswered questions.

This documentary left me completely stunned. I’ll warn you, this series is not for the faint-hearted. This documentary delves into the unanswered questions of Sam Gillingham, a woman whose mother Carole Packman mysteriously disappeared and whose father Russell is serving time in jail for the murder of Carole. The series starts you off looking at the case as closed but there’s a lot of unanswered questions about it. Mark Williams-Thomas the detective, does an intense search for clues and answers for Sam.

This documentary was definitely a heavy watch, each episode lasting around 40-45 minutes. It’s not so much the time that makes this heavy but the information and tragedy of this case that weighs you down after watching it. It is highly interesting and Mark Williams-Thomas makes the documentary easy to watch and continues to pull you in with new information and intense research.

Big Mouth (On Netflix) – A programme that pushes the boundaries of comedy completely while giving you some light-hearted belly laughs.

This show can be easily watched while hungover and is best enjoyed with a group of pals to sit around and laugh. This programme focuses on the lives of Nick and Andrew, two young boys going through the most important changes in their lives – puberty. Luckily for them, puberty comes in the shape of a guide, a hormone monster who at times can be incredibly forward and imaginative with his surroundings. The show also zooms in on Jessi, Missy, Jay and much more of Nick and Andrew’s friends from school.

With this programme, you either have the humour or you don’t and it’s very simple. If you enjoy dirty-minded jokes and humour that pushes boundaries then you will love Big Mouth. Unfortunately, there is only one season so far but it has been announced that they will have a second season out in 2018 – delighted.